Selling clears maybe within the rules of the game - but is it within the spirit?

[Kallera]

I despise clearsellers. and I think it is against the spirit of the game to sell clears. but they are also a product of the endgame environment, from the design of boss fights to the community reaction to them.

usually when they are current, fights of the ex trial variety tend to be very strict, with OHKO attacks, where a downed player will usually be enough to make the attempt hopeless, and leave players either running for the pits or waiting for the mob to just get it over with(must be a hell of a sight from a npc perspective!).

players that rush for a clear often do so because the state of clearing causes a brain drain among the community, people that clear only want to party with people that clear, because people that have not cleared will result in no rewards. and the fights are mechanically complex enough that explanations in game are difficult, nigh impossible if you don't have macros.

So players do not try, they tell others to youtube it, and bang their heads against it until they either clear and join the farm parties(where it is assumed there are more quality players all the time) ask their fc or static for help, or stop trying to.

If a person does not have these connections or lack the player skill, they are often left behind, and their efforts frowned upon as getting "carried". Think about it, the very notion of helping the unskilled clear content has a derogatory name in this genre. They aren't attractive to the parties because they cannot clear, and they will be constantly paired up with those that cannot clear. They are told to stop playing, gitgud, watch it on youtube, or join a static(which again, have their own criteria, revolving around clears, whether the static is willing or even capable of improving the player is toss up).

People see this impasse, and make a buck on it.

for a bunch and a half of gil you too can get 7 people to be the bros that can clear content and help out. you can buy the end of the adventure, you can pay for the win.

And yes people may frown upon it, they may speak ill of your clear or that you didn't earn it.

But they weren't there when you needed it, so why should they matter now? Next patch and their vaunted prizes will be a thing of the past, and they wouldn't have helped you then either.

Its a bad situation, but there's little if any incentive to improve on it. people are trying to keep their own progression alive as it is, to not get into that situation.